Trump likes having Musk as an attack dog and a scapegoat.

[speak easy]

Trump said to see Elon Musk as useful activist after spending deal showdown

Donald Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk is showing no signs of fraying, even after at times he appeared to eclipse the president-elect’s influence as he bullied House Republicans into paring down their bipartisan spending deal to avert a government shutdown with just hours to spare.

The move by Musk to detonate the political equivalent of a nuclear bomb – by demanding that Republicans sink the deal or face a primary challenge – was viewed as a test run of the kind of role Musk might play to pressure Congress once Trump takes office, people familiar with the matter said.

The consensus view at Mar-a-Lago was that Musk proved an effective cudgel to pressure Congress and a scapegoat for any backlash, the people said.

... although House Democrats mocked Trump as acting like the vice-president with Musk as the president, in an attempt to get under his skin, the extended honeymoon between the two men has continued – in another notable shift for Trump, whose political alliances often lack for longevity.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/21/trump-elon-musk-spending-deal

[Happy Hoosier]

1. But how long can his ego take not being the center of attention?

Trump, like Musk, is a narcissist. They both can't STAND it when someone else is getting the lime light.

[speak easy]

5. note useful scapegoat

It's over when the Administration is suffering from a major disaster and they pin the blame on Musk.

[D. Spaulding]

9. Let's see if we can get Time Magazine to put Musk on an upcoming cover.

When they did that with Bannon last term, Trump hit the roof, and Bannon was cut off.

[underpants]

2. Smells like Trump camp PR

This reads like a cover story/excuse from the Trump camp

There was a post here yesterday of CNN confirming that Trump aides were calling and screaming at reporters that Trump was not following Musk.

TRUMP IS IN CHARGE!!! Was the message

[sop]

3. So this is how they're spinning having ceded presidential authority to an unelected billionaire?

[BoRaGard]

4. Musk sees The Felon as a Useful Idiot for him and Pooty

[JI7]

6. But he isn't deflecting from Trump. It Puts Trump in the spotlight

as a loser that is controlled by Musk.

[Prairie Gates]

7. ROFL....riiiiiiiight

[D. Spaulding]

8. Musk is now tweeting

that he's going to use his great wealth, and misinformation capacity from his ownership of a powerful social media platform, to primary Dem candidates that in his opinion, aren't "moderate" enough.

[C_U_L8R]

10. Indeed, Musk is quite a tool

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

11. How's wagging the dog/scapegoat gonna make America great again?

Concepts of a plan?

[Kid Berwyn]

12. Half Way 2 Trillionaire beats your own Roy Cohn any day.

You don't need a law degree when you can buy the courts.

[Wiz Imp]

13. Not buying it.

The President Musk memes are definitely pissing him off. Sooner or later, Musk is going to do something that causes Trump to throw him under the bus. That's when things will get really interesting. The 2 biggest narcissists on the face of the earth can not work together amicably for long.

[Buckeyeblue]

14. For now. Trump isn't going to share the spotlight once he's president

[allegorical oracle]

15. TSF hasn't been so in love since Roy Cohn died. It's a bromance. nt